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<h2>Report from the Co-chairs (Old and New)</h2>
<p>This summer once again witnessed a highly successful FCC summer picnic. On 
  July 6 Ryall Park was chock-a-block with parents and children, the latter alternately 
  running and screaming through water fountain obstacles or climbing rope mountains, 
  and being face painted, making balloon animals, and otherwise being entertained 
  by the magician Mulan. It was suspected that even a few parents were getting 
  in on the act - at least those not otherwise engaged in stuffing down vast quantities 
  of picnic comestibles. Our heartfelt thanks to Heather McDonald for the clearly 
  considerable hard work to bring this all together.</p>
<p><img src="../Images/Picnic2002.jpg" width="427" height="310" align="left" vspace="3" hspace="3">This 
  year's picnic also brought a first new event - a conjoint meeting for waiting 
  parents, held in the adjacent Queensborough Community Centre. This meeting was 
  the first effort at a new initiative designed to help new China adoption applicants 
  establish small resource groups -- groups that will hopefully help them through 
  the long waiting period and provide them with information and assistance for 
  when they travel to China. The essential idea is that, once set-up, these groups 
  would essentially run themselves, with FCC providing 'expertise' and information 
  as needed. Of course, it is also hoped that these soon-to-be parents will then 
  become good 'FCC citizens' and do their bit in the future. We were pleased that 
  a considerable number of 'waiting' couples participated in the meeting and picnic. 
  The feedback was generally very positive. Nancy Ryder has graciously agreed 
  to spearhead this program in the future. It is expected that another meeting 
  will be held in conjunction with the New Year's celebration in January.</p>
<p>Indeed, the general tenor of the discussions among the FCC executive this year 
  has been on new initiatives and increasing member participation. In this regard, 
  Co-chair David Robinson is setting up a second new program - one of sponsoring 
  and providing Adoption Playshops by Jane Brown to FCC members and their children. 
  The purpose of these playshops is to provide an opportunity, under professional 
  guidance, for both children and adults to deal with issues surrounding international 
  adoption. Jane Brown, who has conducted many successful workshops of this type, 
  describes it as follows: The [playshops] proactively teach children skills for 
  dealing with societal misperceptions about adoption and race; and help them 
  to better integrate what we need and want them to know or think and feel about 
  being members of adoptive families. Those who attend seem to be able to transfer 
  the skills they learn in playshops to settings in which they are mostly with 
  non-adopted peers. They also seem to be more open with their parents and to 
  know better how to articulate their thoughts and feelings with their parents 
  after having participated in these group experiences. The playshops help adopted 
  and non-adopted siblings to understand each other better and to have empathy 
  with their sibling's sometimes complicated role as a member of their family. 
</p>
<p>Arrangements are being made to bring Jane Brown to Vancouver in March 2003: 
  more details will be made available soon. Anyone wishing to assist is requested 
  to contact David Robinson.</p>
<p>A third new initiative is visible in this very newsletter - an expanded and 
  more interesting newsletter with the first ever kid's section. FCC is not just 
  about the children but for the children, and we see their involvement in the 
  organization growing as they get older. We are excited about the idea of the 
  children themselves contributing to a section just for them. Just about anything 
  they like could be submitted - photos, drawings, stories, short essays, pet 
  material, and so on. Hopefully this will stimulate further contributions and 
  if all goes well, we may eventually have an annual kid's issue, perhaps with 
  a special editor for that issue. Please encourage your kids to send more stuff 
  for the next issue.</p>
<p>Other new initiatives have been discussed, ranging from annual kids vs. parents 
  soccer games for older children, to a goods, equipment and materials exchange 
  day, a website for exchange/rental of FCC's members homes, changes in venue 
  and format for the Chinese New Year event. However, we very much need to hear 
  from the members as to what you would like to see. So please e-mail your thoughts 
  as soon as possible, so we can talk about them at the general meeting in November. 
  Better yet - come to the meeting as well.</p>
<p>The most productive initiative in terms of encouraging and improving communications 
  between members and FCC, has been the creation of FCC's discussion line. Other 
  initiatives include FCC's further consultation in expanding and improving the 
  Chinese Culture Camps run by the Chinese Cultural Centre, a camping weekend 
  in Cultas Lake this August, and Dimsum in China town on various Sundays throughout 
  the year. None of these initiatives would have been possible without the help 
  and encouragement of members who have devoted time and effort and we thank all 
  those that have helped. Our thanks too to all FCC Executive members for their 
  continued support.</p>
<p>Lastly, at least one member has run across what seems to be a mail fraud scam 
  emanating from China. The instigators send an email and claim to be a software 
  development company seeking your help in establishing projects in North America. 
  They claim that they have obtained your email address from China Adoption Agency 
  but this is not likely to be true as in at least one instance an email address 
  was used that was never given to CCAA. The sender then promises a free special 
  traditional &quot;China's Knot&quot; - all you have to do is send them postage. 
  Presumably one never hears anything more from them after sending them the postage 
  money. If anyone knows anything more about this, please let the executive know. 
</p>
<p><b>Respectfully submitted:<br>
  David Robinson and Frank Kenny<br>
  Co-Chairs</b><br>
</p>
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  <B>Last Updated: <!-- #BeginEditable "Date" -->October 20th, 2002<!-- #EndEditable --></B></FONT> 
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